Author's Note: Set after "Graduation." This is my take on what happens between the group leaving Roswell and Liz & Max's wedding. M&M because they're my most favourite couple ever ;-)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but memories from this amazing show.

"My future's here… this is my choice. This is what I want. And... whatever that is in the end, that's what it'll be... but... we're doing it together," she had said, her eyes fixed on his. And suddenly he couldn't breathe.

Speechless, all he could do was hold her in his arms. This fiery human, whom he thought had changed so much over the past few months. She had broken up with him. Gotten into her music again. Dyed her hair brown. Became distant… almost like a stranger.

Through it all, he still knew that she was the only one for him. No matter how she changed on the outside, she would still be the same Maria DeLuca inside that had tore down his stonewall and warmed his cold alien heart.

He didn't think she loved him anymore.

She broke up with him, so easily, even after he had stayed on Earth just for her instead of going home to Antar, the place he had been striving to reach his whole life. They didn't hang out anymore—even as friends. She avoided him at work. And then, the killer—she slept with him again and said that it didn't mean anything.

He had thought that they were making love but apparently it was just quick, free sex for her. He felt dirty after they had done it and she left his apartment without a word.

He felt even dirtier knowing that if the situation was ever to arise again, he would still have sex with her. Because for him, it was making love, even if it wasn't for her. For him, it was being with the one girl that he knew he would ever love.

And when he found out that he had to leave with the others after graduation, all he could think about was the talkative pixie who had made living on Earth bearable. He thought of a million different ways of saying goodbye to her—from sneaking into her room and leaving her a letter, to not even saying goodbye at all.

It wasn't like she would miss him or anything.

But he knew that he could never live with himself if he didn't say goodbye to her. It took a lot for him to ride his motorcycle over to her house and spill his heart out to her. He assured her that she was the only one he would love. And he meant it; Michael Guerin would not open his heart to anyone again, not after this. All it caused him was pain and longing. Pining.

And he was not one for pining over anyone, especially some human.

When he looked into her pretty green eyes, he felt his heart clench. It hurt so much to be so close and not be able to touch her; to love her. So he said goodbye and drove away before she had a chance to stomp all over his heart again. He could hear her calling after him as he drove off, but he couldn't give her the opportunity to speak.

Since she didn't love him anymore.

He never expected her to drive into the desert when they were about to leave. He had already said his goodbye. And then, those words.

She wanted to come with them. With him.

They were all silent as they drove out of Roswell. Each of them knew that it would be the last time they were ever there. It would be too dangerous to ever go back.

And yet Maria DeLuca was right there next to him.

He didn't know what it meant for them. Were they back together? Did she love him again? Could he touch her again? Hold her, kiss her, make love to her?

Sitting there in the back of the van with her so close to him, he had to take a chance. He had to see if things had changed. If his Maria was still his Maria. Nervously, he reached over and tentatively took her hand.

Maria looked surprised, seeing him clutching her hand like he was her lifeline. She looked up at him and discovered that she indeed was. And she smiled.

His heart burst when she gave him the infamous DeLuca smile, her eyes bright and shining with love for him.

And Michael Guerin closed his eyes, thanking Amy or Max or God or who/what ever was responsible for bringing Maria DeLuca into his lonely loveless life.

That afternoon they drove for hours until it was dark and they were far enough from Roswell to risk stopping.

"Thank goodness," Isabel groaned as she moved her stiff body out of the car once they got to a run-down motel off of the highway. Michael gently shook Maria, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder.

"Uh, we're at a motel," he said to her awkwardly. It was the first words he had spoken to her since… well, since he had said goodbye to her.

Maria rubbed her bleary eyes and nodded, letting him help her out of the back of the van.

"How many rooms should I get?" Max asked as he got out of the driver's seat and instantly hugged Liz to him. Obviously they wanted their own room together.

"Well, Kyle and Michael can share a room, and me and Maria—" Isabel began.

"No," interrupted Maria. Five sets of eyes peered over at her in confusion. "Uh, it's just that, uh," her cheeks pinked. "Well, Michael and I can share…"

Nobody looked as shocked as Michael Guerin. His mouth popped open. But after recovering from the initial shock, he looked over at Max and nodded, letting him know that it was fine.

"Fine," Isabel sighed heavily, "Kyle and I can share; just make sure there are two beds."

Max nodded, and he and Liz went inside to get the rooms.

Michael stared at Maria, who hugged herself in the cold of the night, leaning against the van that Max had turned a royal blue colour. He had not expected Maria to say that. He didn't know if Maria wanted to get back together with him, and dwelled on that fact for the entire trip thus far as she slept most of the way. He knew that she still loved him, that was apparent—and he was thankful for that. But he expected that she would want to take it slow… that is if she wanted a relationship at all with him in the first place.

So why did she want them to share a room?

Max came back out and Liz handed everyone their keys.

"There's only one bed per room, so Kyle and Iz, we got you two your own rooms," Max explained. His eyebrows furrowed over at Michael and Maria. "Do you two still want to share?"

Michael looked over at Maria, who nodded, so he nodded too, taking the key from Liz. And the six of them went to their rooms.

Inside, Michael uncomfortably kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket, not knowing what to say or do. Maria pulled off her own boots and flopped onto the bed. She peered up at him through her eyelashes.

"I'm, uh, just gonna hit the shower," Michael said to her, grabbing his duffel bag of stuff and booking it to the bathroom.

Maria nodded absently and turned the television on, getting comfortable on the Queen-sized bed.

When Michael got out of the shower, wearing only a T-shirt and a pair of boxers to sleep in, he found Maria lying down on the bed in her pyjamas, under the blankets, sleepily watching some infomercial. She watched him as he seemed to debate in his head what to do, then finally come over to the bed and get under the blankets, too. She turned off the television and the light next to her, and the silence and darkness enveloped them.

Quietly, Michael decided he had to ask, "Why did you want to share a room with me?"

She was surprised at the question, spoken so softly by the alien lying just inches away from her. The one that she had given her heart to years ago. And she answered him honestly.

"I feel safest with you."

He was a little taken aback at her reply. So many times, he was the one that caused her to be in danger, to be harmed. And yet she felt safest with him? Ironic.

"Oh," was all he said, however, and silence consumed them once again.

"I still love you, Michael," came a whisper a few moments later.

His head jerked over at her and he stared at the outline of her face in the dark.

"That's why I couldn't let you leave."

He didn't know what to say. He inched closer and gently found her, hugging her petite body to his. She went willingly into his arms, breathing in the warm scent of him that she had missed.

"I love you too, Maria," he said to her, even though she knew that he did. That he always had. "So…uh…" after a few minutes of cuddling in silence, he cleared his throat. "Does this mean we're back together?" he tried to keep the hope out of his voice, tried to make it sound like he didn't care either way. And failed miserably.

Maria let out a laugh. The laugh made Michael instantly retract his arms, feeling like it was a slap in the face. She was laughing at him.

"Wait," she quickly stopped laughing and grabbed him from moving away from her on the bed. "I'm sorry, it's just… Michael, no matter how much I want to get away from all of this alien stuff, I'm just realising that I never can. It's a part of me… because you're a part of me." She reached up and stroked his cheek softly. "And we're in this together."

He smiled in the dark at Maria. His Maria. She was back.

Running his hand through her hair, he used his powers to change it back to the beautiful blonde shade he loved on her. Then he kissed her gently, letting his love for her warm her all the way down to her cute little painted toenails.

This time, they made love. It was slow and passionate, a rediscovery of each other's bodies. Michael made sure to tell her that he loved her several times during the act, letting her know that this time it was not just sex. And she returned his words every time he spoke them.

As they lied in each other's arms in tangled sheets, Michael relived the flashes he had gotten from Maria while they were making love. How she missed him. How she watched him at the Crashdown when he thought she wasn't looking. How it took all the strength she had to not hang out with him anymore. How hurt she felt at the evident pain on his face every time he looked at her.

How she had never stopped loving him, not for a second.

And he smiled a smile of content as he snuggled against his lover. He started to fall asleep with an image of her and their future of possibilities.

"… Michael, what did you do to my hair?" he heard her ask just as he drifted off to dream land.

the end :-) feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading!